Robert Lewandowski lost his father when he was 16. It was an extremely painful loss for the young man.
Krzysztof Lewandowski was the boy’s first coach. Someone who directed him to football and was instrumental in the entire path of the Pole.
After the death of his father, the young man closed in on himself, there was no other authority on the horizon with such charisma and faith in the future of “Lewy”. Everything changed after he left for Germany
– It was a great time, I met a person who could hug and resist. I knew I had support – admitted the Polish captain in an interview with Kuba Wojewódzki and Piotr Kędzierski on Onet (you can listen HERE). We remind you how the footballer and the coach built a bond
After winning the German Cup game in 2012, players from Borussia Dortmund ate McDonald’s hamburgers and joked. They were in great spirits. Klopp was standing outside the window, smoking a cigarette and smiling at them. In the end, he took them there himself, proud of his charges after the victory. That day, he showed his friendly face. But he also had others. He created Lewandowski with these methods.
There is no exaggeration in these words. At one point, almost all German media asked Klopp – why are you letting this sick Pole play? They made fun of the former Lech player, who was completely out of the way. WDR television even created a mocking movie in which the actor playing “Lewy” did not hit not only the goal, but also the light switch or the toilet. The pressure was enormous. And yet the trainer, without one of the biggest names in the coaching world at the time, stuck to his point. He believed. Everything was about to change soon.
A breakthrough was needed, and nothing teaches us like failures. This came in the Champions League when Olympique Marseille beat Borussia 3-0. She exposed all the shortcomings of the team and the Pole himself. This one didn’t last until the 90th minute, it was changed. He was furious. He wanted to talk to the coach.
“I went to him after the game because I did not understand what he was expecting from me. We lost, something broke in me. I knew that if I did not react, nothing would change. It was the first moment when I realized that a change in behavior He can give me a lot of benefits. I talked to him like a father, which I couldn’t do after my dad died. I won’t reveal the details of this conversation, we just cleared up a lot of things. At that point something exploded inside me. Three days later we played Augsburg in In the Bundesliga, I scored three goals, had an assist. Everything started, “Lewandowski recalled in an interview with Przegląd Sportowy.
We lost, something broke inside me. I knew that if I didn’t react, nothing would change. I talked to him like a father, which I couldn’t do after my father died
“Suddenly I realized why not everything was as it should have been. I needed this conversation. I was very young and it was my first time living abroad. Although I did not understand everything thoroughly because I did not speak German well enough, I didn’t it made a big difference. I needed to clarify a few points with him. I didn’t want to be in a situation where I am perceived badly. We had to exchange opinions on certain topics, “he added.
To say the sniper has unlocked is to say nothing. Moments earlier, on the recommendation of the then agent, Cezary Kucharski, he watched recordings of his hits from Lech – to remind himself how to scare his rivals. After talking to Klopp, the video was no longer needed. Borussia defended the national championship largely thanks to 22 goals from “Lewy”.
The coach said there would be 20 of them – Nobody in Poland knows how good Robert can be – he said at the press conference. He worked hard with the mentee in training. He interrupted classes and explained everything patiently. – Ass move! – he shouted in Polish. He praised, but also pointed out mistakes. It cooled the young boy’s enthusiasm. When it was necessary, he rebuked. – I don’t like his body language. He looks like he’s not interested in the game, he told Kicker. Everything paid off. And it all reminded the contestant of his greatest authority, which he had lost.
– His behavior and manner showed me the features my dad had. It was a great time, I met a person who could hug and resist. I knew I had a coach. I did not want to admit it to myself, but I think I was looking for such a person – said Lewandowski in an interview with Wojewódzki and Kędzierski in Onet. Krzysztof Lewandowski also believed and demanded. After all, he was not only a father himself, but also a coach. He played in Hutnik Warszawa, practiced judo, and taught PE in schools.
“We were both coaches, but I always say that the mother may be caring and beloved, but the father is a model. A support. Robert remembers perfectly well that Krzysiek supported him, directed him to football” – she said in an interview for “Przegląd Sportowy” the player’s mother, Iwona Lewandowska.
She lost her husband in 2005. “He fell ill with cancer when Robert was 17 years old. After the operation I took him from the hospital and we returned home. My husband felt unwell, we were tired. We went to bed before 10 pm. Krzysiek was always snoring. I woke up in the middle of the night. , there was absolute silence in the room. I turned on the light and he was already blue. I started screaming … “- she said.
“I grabbed the phone, called the ambulance, and they slowly asked more questions. I didn’t understand what was going on. They just knew that they didn’t have to rush to the dead man. It turned out he had a stroke. Good thing Robert wasn’t home. My daughter and I went to Bielany the next day, we waited for him to come back from school. He had an important tournament that day. He came in, I told him to sit down. He took it calmly: »I sensed it« “- the footballer’s mother confessed.
Krzysiek was always snoring. I woke up in the middle of the night, there was absolute silence in the room. I turned on the light and he was already blue
Her son then lost his footing. Someone to whom he dedicated all his goals in the following years. Hundreds – all for the father. Over the years, the striker had raised his hands up, paying tribute to the first coach. “He always knew that I was going to play abroad. He said that he gave me the name Robert, so that no one would confuse my name. the main role “. “I miss him very much. Sometimes I would just like to sit with him at the table, talk to him. Show him so much, take him to the match so that he can see me, do something for him” – he recalled in an interview with “Przegląd Sportowy”.
Then, at the age of 17, the young man retreated into himself. He was able to open up to new experiences, but not to someone who could even try to replace his father. Lewandowski was to find this person only in Dortmund.
Jolanta Dolecka, a friend of Iwona Lewandowska, recalled her deceased husband: “Certainly, my father’s merit is great in the fact that Robert achieved such success. He was like Iwona – sociable, he was everywhere. There were moments when they were shouting at the table. he always said: “You’ll see what Robert will be like.” At the same time, he was able to bake the young man, saying “Bobek, it’s not going to be anything of you!”. All this to motivate my son to work and make him not only a good player, but also a human being.
This was also what Klopp was like when the two gentlemen had the opportunity to work together in Borussia. Anyway, bringing a Pole from Poznań to Germany to the original idea of the trainer. Back then, in 2011, the club was counting every penny, the scouts were not convinced. Again, a tough stance was needed by someone who would believe in the capabilities of the then king of shooters, which were weak compared to the European Ekstraklasa. There was EUR 4.5 million in the box office. Eight goals in the first season gave little hope. Now, on the verge of leaving the country of our western neighbors to Spain, Lewandowski is one of the greatest legends in Bundesliga history and one of the best strikers of the 21st century.
The idea of making him someone so perfect germinated most strongly in the heads of the two coaches-fathers. Krzysztof Lewandowski and Juergen Klopp. The first of them could not see the player’s senior match live. The second, however, pushed the charge, gave him momentum, and the next steps led the captain of the Polish national team to the title of the best footballer in the world.
“Lewy” wrote in “The Player’s Tribune”: “Juergen was not only like a father to me. He was like a strict teacher in school. Do you remember those years? the best of you. That was what he was. This is how the German broke the invisible barrier that the death of his mentor had left in the heart of a young man. Today Robert Lewandowski himself is the father of two daughters. He has someone to follow.